Give Me a B! Give Me an O! Give me an N! Give me a D!

Grant County Journal Give me a B! Give me an O! Give me an N! Give me a D! March 29, 2010 Written by Janet Warren Once upon a time, 36 years ago to be exact, I sat in an Economics 101 class as a freshman in college. I ended up dropping the class because, as an 18-year-old, I felt I may actually die of boredom if I remained in the class for the whole semester. Flash forward. My eyes still glaze over when politicians banter about their various economic policies that will save the world. The difference is that now I understand my life will be affected and that I had better stay awake, pay attention, and be more proactive. So what does this have to do with the price of rice in China? (Well, quite a lot actually, but let’s not go there). I’m going to talk to you about the Columbia Basin Hospital Bond special election that is coming up on April 17th. In an article published in the Journal on March 15th, Randy Bracht quotes Robert Reeder, the Columbia Basin Hospital Administrator: “Our hospital was built in 1957, and it’s reaching the end of its useful life,” said Reeder. This is personal, I was born in 1958. The hospital needs renovating, people! One great thing about writing an opinion column is that I don’t have to present the other side. I can be completely biased, which I am. I am biased because I don’t think I can retire in a city that doesn’t have a hospital, and that’s what Ephrata is looking at if this bond doesn’t pass. It’s not going to keep operating like it is now. As Susan Scheib, the Community Relations Coordinator for the hospital explained: “You can’t just keep putting a Band-Aid on the hospital. There comes a point where you have to fix it.” It is estimated that if this bond measure does not pass, the hospital will close within five years. The assisted living and long-term care facilities will also close as they depend on hospital dollars to operate. Most likely, the clinic will close as it will be difficult to keep and attract doctors here if support facilities of the hospital aren’t available. The hospital employs 141 full-time employees, making it a top employer in Ephrata. When these employees lose their jobs, Ephrata will feel the effects and they will be significant. I may not be an expert on the economy, but I am bright enough to know that eliminating 141 jobs in a city with a population of 7,500 will be devastating to Ephrata’s businesses and schools. Susan took me on a tour of the hospital so I could see for myself what passing the bond will do. At first glance, the building doesn’t look as old as it is because the hospital is kept impeccably clean. It’s hard to do that with such an old building which tells me the employees take pride in working there. What is apparent, however, is how crowded everything is. Especially the physical therapy department which basically consists of one room with a lot of equipment. There is a great demand for these services in Ephrata. If you have ever been there for therapy after a knee or hip replacement, your ballot will be one of the first to hit the mailbox. The lab is another area where people are walking on top of each other. This is the only department I have personally dealt with. I like my health care provider in Wenatchee, and when we moved to Ephrata I kept going to her. However, it’s more convenient for me to go to the hospital in Ephrata to get my lab work done. The phlebotomist, Jaime Bravo, is the only person on this planet who has consistently gotten blood out of my shy veins on the first try. I love him. The hospital bond voted on during the general election in 2010 narrowly failed, gathering only 59.2 percent of yes votes, instead of the needed 60 percent. That means, in terms I can understand, we missed out on updating our hospital because 30 people in Ephrata failed to mail in their ballots. We have an opportunity for a do-over. Perhaps the plans for the hospital in 2010 were a bit grandiose for Ephrata’s blood. The hospital board listened and pared it down. The details are in Randy Bracht’s article in March 15’s paper--please read it. My purpose in writing this column is to be a cheerleader for those 30 people whose ballots may have ended up in the trash. All my life I’ve heard “Every vote counts.” Poppycock. I voted for my candidate for president in the primary 2008 election via absentee ballot and he pulled out of the race before my vote was counted. But here’s a situation where we do need everybody’s vote. I know it’s scary to think about property rates going up and sometimes I wonder how I can keep pace with some of the other financial demands being put on me. I know most of you are in that situation, too. But Ephrata needs a hospital and it will affect your quality of life if the bond doesn’t pass. The citizens of Ephrata supported the community swimming pool and the schools. It’s time to step up to the plate and support the hospital. As my guru, Dr. Seuss penned for The Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to get better. It’s not”.